Indians agree to Minor League deal with Kazmir

Indians agree to Minor League deal with Kazmir

CLEVELAND -- The Indians need rotation depth and are willing to roll the dice when it comes to certain reclamation projects. One such case appears to be left-hander Scott Kazmir.

Cleveland reached an agreement on Friday with Kazmir on a Minor League contract, pending a medical review. The deal would include an invitation to attend Spring Training with the big league club.

Kazmir, 28, enjoyed a promising start to his career before injuries and inconsistency eventually knocked him out of the big leagues by 2012. He spent last season pitching for Sugar Land (Texas) in the independent Atlantic League and is currently pitching for Gigantes de Carolina in the Puerto Rican Winter League.

A first-round pick by the Mets in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Kazmir began his big league career with Tampa Bay in '04. Between the 2005-09 seasons, Kazmir went 55-43 with a 3.75 ERA over 143 games, turning in 167 innings on average over that five-year period.

For his career, Kazmir has gone 66-61 with a 4.17 ERA across eight seasons spent between the Rays and Angels. His last full season came in 2010, when he went 9-15 with a 5.94 ERA in 28 starts for Los Angeles.

This offseason, Kazmir has gone 0-2 with a 4.37 ERA in five outings in Puerto Rico. Over 22 2/3 innings in winter ball, he has 27 strikeouts and eight walks.